How Should Glasses Sit on the Nose?

Glasses should fit securely on the bridge of the nose, without pinching the nose. The frames should not press into the face at any point. When the wearer moves his head, or even bends over and touches the floor, the frames should stay in place.

Having the right fit for glasses will make them more comfortable to wear, and the wearer will avoid having painful red marks pressed into the bridge of his nose. People like their glasses to be comfortable and easy to wear. In a recent survey conducted by the Vision Council of America, 88 percent of people surveyed said that comfort was their first priority in choosing frames for their eye glasses.

Even more important, having eye glasses fit properly gives the best vision correction. When eye glasses sit crookedly on, or slide down the nose, the angle of vision is changed and vision through corrective lenses is less accurate. Well fitted glasses are important for both comfort and eyesight.

Eyeglass frames come in standard sizes, represented by the series of numbers pressed into the frame. The second number in the sequence is the bridge size. For example, 48-19-140 has a bridge size of 19. An optician checks this measurement when fitting a patient with new eye glasses.

The length of the temple on the frame will also influence the way eye glasses fit. This is the last number in the sequence representing frame size. If the temples are too short, the entire frame will be pulled too close to the face, and the bridge of the eye glasses will press painfully into the wearer’s nose. If the temples are too long, the glasses will slide down the wearer’s nose and distort his vision.

People who want to order glasses online should be sure to record these fitting numbers. Although the style of the frame may cause some variation in the numbers, ordering frames with the same measurements as the original usually results in well fitted eye glasses.

In general, plastic frames rest directly on the nose, while metal frames are supported by nose pads. Even so, metal frames must have the right bridge size if the glasses are to fit the wearer properly. The nose pads primarily spread the weight of the glasses over a larger area, so they will be more comfortable.

Adjusting the nose pad arms will change the way the eye glasses sit on the nose. Pressing the nose pads closer together will make the glasses sit higher on the nose. If the glasses slide down the nose frequently, moving the nose pads closer together will usually solve the problem. Spreading the nose pads further apart will cause the glasses to sit lower on the nose.

When eye glasses are sitting crookedly on the nose, usually the temples of the eye glasses need to be adjusted. Many people have one ear that is very slightly higher than the other. Adjusting the temples to compensate for this lets the frames sit evenly on the wearer’s nose.

For those individuals who prefer extreme measures, pierced glasses are a choice. The wearer’s skin is pierced just above the bridge of the nose, a bar is threaded through the piercing, and two L-shaped end pieces are attached. The eye glasses are fitted with tiny magnets that cling to the bar ends when the glasses are worn. The weight of the glasses is still supported by nose pads while the piercing holds the glasses in place.